Missing In Action
by Mrs Sheppard18
Summary: Several missing and extended scenes for episode 2.10 'Ki'ilua'. Yep, another tag for Ki'ilua, I just couldn't resist! Some added whump.
1. Chapter 1

Missing In Action

_Several missing and extended scenes for episode 2.10 'Ki'ilua'. Yep, another tag for Ki'ilua, I just couldn't resist! Some added whump._

_All the scenes are in order according to the episode so it should be pretty easy to see where they fit into the episode._

_Spoilers for episode 2.10 and also one small reference to information we find out in episode 2.14._

_A/N: I'm still working on my crossover story but this one just refused to be ignored and demanded that I post it. A lot of these scenes were written in the middle of the night because my muse just loves to make things as inconvenient as possible so I apologise for any mistakes that my sleep deprived mind missed._

_Disclaimer__: I don't own Hawaii Five-0 or its characters. The main storyline and some dialogue also belong to the show and its writer's._

oOo

Steve was finishing packing the last of his equipment into his truck as Danny's Camaro pulled up outside his house in the afternoon; his partner had still yet to find his own place and was still sleeping on his sofa. Steve closed the cabin to the truck after placing his AKMSU carbine on the front passenger seat and leaned against the side of the car as Danny approached.

"Hey," he nodded his greeting. "How's the case going?"

"Fine," Danny replied as he came to stand beside Steve. "Chin and Kono are heading to Maui tomorrow morning to talk to someone who might be involved." Looking at the camou. bag in the back of the truck and Steve's apparel, Danny continued. "I take it the Governor didn't completely shoot down your plans then?"

"Well, he doesn't know all the details," Steve shrugged. "He gave me a couple of days leave to do what I need to do; in the meantime you're the acting head of Five-0."

Danny nodded, "Well as long as that doesn't mean I start acting like you and suddenly get the urge to hang a guy off a roof or something, I should be ok for a few days." Danny glanced at the carbine sitting on the front seat in Steve's car. "Somehow I don't think you'll be able to get that through customs," he nodded towards it.

Steve followed his partner's gaze before answering, "I got us on a flight to Seoul with a group of doctor's heading there to inspect the hospitals. It's not the kind of flight that requires passports and customs if you get what I'm saying."

Danny nodded again, "What time do you leave?"

"Twenty-two hundred tonight," he replied.

"So you still have time for a beer before you leave then," Danny stated rather than asked as he made his way towards the door to the house and Steve smiled slightly as he followed his partner through to the kitchen where the beers were. Walking out to the beach at the back of the house, they took a seat on the chairs.

Taking a sip of his beer, Danny looked to his partner, "So I suppose it's too late to say that this whole mission into North Korea is a really bad idea."

"You already said that in my office this morning," Steve pointed out. "It's like I told you then, Danny; I'm doing this for Jenna, she asked for my help so I've gotta help her."

"And what does Joe think about all this?" Danny asked, knowing that Joe White was one of the few people who Steve actually took advice from.

"I didn't tell him about it," Steve avoided looking at Danny as he answered and took another sip of beer.

Danny had figured as much and nodded. "Because you know that he'd say the same thing I am." It wasn't a question.

"Look, Danny, she saved your life, remember?" Steve glanced at his partner. "I owe her."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't help Jenna, hell, I owe her as much as the next person, _more_ even. What I'm saying is you shouldn't be going alone, you're not going to have anyone to watch your back, Steve," Danny said the main thing that had been on his mind since Steve had told him about the mission. "I mean I saw the op that the SEALs ran to take down the cartel in Mexico and I know that, despite what you say, you used to do that stuff when you were with the SEALs, but at least those guys had back-up."

"I'll be fine, Danny," Steve assured him. He knew that his partner was concerned about him and he wished he could tell him about the times he had been in very similar circumstances before to the situation with Jenna and that things had gone off with barely a hitch those times, so there was no need to worry. "Besides, if things do go south, Jenna will have my back."

Danny barely contained a scoff, "An analyst, how reassuring."

Steve smiled. "An analyst with a gun," he added.

"Just make sure you come back in one piece," Danny continued, "I don't want to have to be the one to explain to the Governor why the head of his task force came back from his personal leave complete with several bullet holes." He brushed off his concern with a small attempt at humour.

Steve smiled again, "That's Lori's job, remember? Besides, if you're really that worried about it you should know that I'll have a satellite phone on me, pass me your phone." Steve reached his hand out and Danny pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and passed it over to Steve who then proceeded to enter a number into his contacts. "Don't call unless it's an emergency," Steve stated as he passed the phone back to Danny.

"Yeah, thanks," Danny nodded as he put the phone back into his pocket, feeling slightly better knowing that he had a way of contacting his partner and vice versa.

"So how's Jenna dealing with all this?" Danny took another swig of beer.

"Okay, considering the circumstances," Steve responded. "I mean her fiancé has been missing for over a year; she thought he was dead."

"That's gonna be one hell of a reunion," Danny remarked as he thought of something more serious. "I know you're probably not going to answer this but I'll ask anyway; you've probably come across this kind of thing before, right? And if they've had him for over a year what kind of condition are you going to find him in?"

Steve stared at his partner for a moment as the question brought a few choice memories to mind about some of the discoveries he and his team had made in the past in relation to cases like this, none of them pretty. Despite his partner's statement, Steve answered the question, albeit vaguely. "Not good," was all he said, then added, "I mean it's not like these guys follow any sort of laws under these circumstances."

Danny nodded, not really wanting the details and changed the subject with a toast. "Well then, here's to more beers when you get back after a successful mission," he held his bottle towards Steve who clinked it with the top of his own.

Steve smiled and took another swig. He could see that his partner was still concerned about the mission and he'd be lying if he said he was one hundred percent okay with it himself; he knew from past experience that North Korea wasn't the friendliest of places to say the least. But the simple fact was that a friend needed his help and even if it meant going to North Korea he was prepared to do whatever it took to help her out. 

"I'll be back before you know it," Steve replied to the toast and the two men sat in silence as they finished their beers, the Hawaiian sun setting spectacularly over the water.

oOo

Steve made his way back from the cockpit to where Jenna was sitting in the farthest seats from where the inspectors were seated on the opposite side of the plane.

"The pilot says we'll be touching down in just less than an hour," Steve reported as he retook his seat beside Jenna.

Jenna nodded and smiled briefly, tapping her fingers against the side of her leg.

Steve noticed her obvious nervousness. "Hey, are you ok?"

Jenna snapped her gaze to him and she saw the concern in his eyes as he looked at her and she felt another wave of guilt wash over her, making her nauseous. She nodded again as she replied, "Yeah, I was just thinking about Josh."

Steve nodded in understanding, "Everything's going to turn out fine, trust me," he smiled in an attempt to reassure her.

"Thanks, Steve," was all she said before going back to tapping her fingers nervously.

Watching her resume her tapping, Steve tried a different approach to get her mind of the exchange. "So tell me about Josh, how'd you two meet?"

Jenna stopped tapping her fingers and a smile came to her lips as she thought back to when they'd first met. "He was at the first mission briefing I gave at Langley; he kept asking questions and joking around, giving me a hard time because I was new. After the briefing was over I was so upset I was ready to hand in my resignation but he came up to me and asked me if I would let him take me to dinner to make up for it," she smiled.

"So you started going out," Steve nodded with a smile.

Jenna smiled even wider. "Actually, I told him to stick it," she almost laughed.

Steve smiled, glad to have taken her mind off the exchange.

"It wasn't until another two months that we started going out," she continued. "He told me he was only such an ass in the meeting because he wanted to make sure that I'd remember him. He proposed two years later." She smiled again.

"How'd it happen?" Steve kept her talking.

Jenna looked up to him still smiling, "We've never actually told anyone how it happened," she replied, still smiling at the memory.

"What, was it something embarrassing?" Steve smirked slightly.

"No, it was just something we wanted to share together, you know?"

Steve smiled and nodded before taking a more serious tone, "Does Josh know what you're doing do get him back? Does he know you're making the exchange?" It was intel he needed to know, he just regretted that he had to bring the subject back to the exchange, though Jenna did appear to be more relaxed now.

Jenna paused for a moment as she glanced at Steve then answered, "I don't know, I mean, I'm not sure what the rebels holding him told him."

"And you're sure this is what you want to do?"

"It's Josh," she stated, "I have to do whatever it takes to get him back."

"I understand that," Steve nodded, "I just want to know if, whatever happens, however this turns out, that you know you made the right decision and can live with the consequences."

And that was the million dollar question; could she live with the consequences? She stared at Steve for a minute, she didn't know why Wo Fat wanted him so fervently, and alive for that matter, but deep down she knew that whatever would happen it wouldn't be good for Steve. She had tried her best not to think about what would happen to him once she handed him over to Wo Fat, the guilt that gnawed at her gut was unbearable at the thought. It had been easy to convince him to accompany her to North Korea and she knew that it was because he considered her as one of his own and that only made the guilt of her betrayal even worse.

But then she'd think of Josh, of all the moments they'd shared together and the many more that she thought she would never have with him when she was informed that he had been killed, until she was faced with the thought that they could have all of that and more but at the price of another. Could she restart their life together knowing that the only reason they were together was because a good man had paid for her mistakes? And could Josh stand to live with her knowing that the only reason he was alive was because another man had taken his place? Would he forgive her?

_Could she live with it?_ The question echoed through her head. She could still change her mind; it wasn't too late to confess to Steve what was really going on, that it was a trap she was leading him into. But in doing so would sign Josh's death sentence and she was again faced with the question could she live with _that_? To live knowing that she was the reason that the man she loved was killed. It was by asking this question that she knew the answer to Steve's question and, pushing aside the guilt, she nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay," Steve nodded, satisfied with the conviction in her answer. "Once we land we'll find a driver to take us to the rendezvous," he added, to which Jenna nodded. Jenna watched him settle back in his seat and forced herself to think of returning home with Josh to stave away the lingering guilt in her gut.

oOo

Kono looked over to Chin as their helicopter approached Maui where they were headed to speak to a Jane Woodley. Raising her voice slightly to be sure that he heard her clearly through their headsets, she asked, "So where were you this morning? Because I know you weren't at home." She frowned slightly after she finished, just noticing how creepy that sounded but looked at her cousin for answers anyway.

Chin glanced at her as he replied, "And how do you know I wasn't at home?"

His cousin grinned mischievously at him, "I have my ways." She shrugged under Chin's raised eyebrows. "Ok, so my car wouldn't start this morning so I called you on your home number to see if I could get a lift in with you," she confessed.

"Maybe I was just ignoring you," he returned his cousin's grin.

Kono smiled then pretended to look insulted, "Ouch, I'm hurt, Cuz!"

Chin laughed before asking, "So how did you get into work this morning then?"

"I got a lift in with Fong," she looked away from Chin as he grinned.

"You mean Charlie?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" She asked casually, making Chin's smile grow. "Besides, we were talking about you so don't change the subject. So, where were you this morning?"

Chin tried not to smile, knowing that it would give something away. "I was with Malia."

Now it was Kono's turn to grin, "Oh, well then, I'm sorry I asked."

Chin shook his head slightly in amusement, "I took her out for a picnic," he explained.

"Romantic," Kono smiled, "was there some sort of special occasion?"

Chin didn't answer but he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.

Kono paused as she looked at him, the corner of her mouth starting to quirk into a smile, "Cuz? Is there something you want to tell me?" She smiled.

Chin sighed, knowing that he'd given it away, "We didn't want to tell anyone yet."

Kono's face lit up with excitement. "You're engaged?"

Chin smiled at his cousin's excitement, her reaction almost the same as it was the first time they had announced their engagement, "Yes," he smiled.

"Oh my God!" Kono exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him, the task made somewhat awkward by the seatbelts still fastening them in place. "Ho'omaika'i 'Ana!" She congratulated him.

"Mahalo," he smiled as he returned her hug.

"When are you going to tell the others?" She asked as she pulled away from their hug.

"Not until after this case," he replied, "so promise me you won't say anything until then?"

Kono nodded, the smile not leaving her face, "Don't worry, Cuz, I've got your back."

Just then, their pilot announced through their headsets, "Ok, I'm taking her down now. Oh and congratulations, Bruddah," the pilot grinned from the front seat, having heard the whole conversation through his headset, "And don't worry, my lips are sealed!"

Chin and Kono laughed at his response. "Thank you, both of you!" He grinned. "Now let's go find out what Jane Woodley has to do with all this."

oOo

Steve's head throbbed as Wo Fat came into focus before him and everything started to click into place; this whole thing had been a set up. Jenna, her fiancé, the ransom; had she even been telling the truth about her fiancé? Had she been a plant from the start or had Wo Fat somehow gotten to her after she had come to him and Five-0?

He didn't have any more time to think as the men who had disappeared during the gun fight re-appeared around him and the carbine he had dropped beside him when he had been hit from behind was kicked away from him and well out of reach.

"Il-eukyeo sewo. Geuleul geomsaeghabnida." _Get him up, search him._ Steve heard Wo Fat order in Korean.

Rough hands gripped his arms and pulled him up so that he was kneeling. Steve glanced around and noticed that he had at least four weapons currently pointed in his direction, plus Jenna's unsteady one, and decided that now was not the best time to try something, he would have to bide his time. He stared accusingly at Jenna for a moment but she looked away, not able to meet his hard stare.

There was a flash of silver in front of him as a knife was produced and used to cut open his shirt at the buttons and the remains were pushed aside to search for any concealed weapons. The same man moved behind him to where another man was holding his shoulders and Steve felt his hands move down his sides and legs as he continued his search. Steve cursed inwardly as the man's right hand stopped on his ankle, having discovered the knife he kept in his ankle strap. His pants leg was pulled up slightly and the knife removed before the laces on his boots were cut and his shoes and socks were also removed. As this was happening, the man holding him in place had produced a piece of rope and tied his hands tightly behind his back.

Thinking they were done, Steve prepared himself to be pulled to his feet and so was unprepared when Wo Fat nodded to a third man who put away his rifle and pulled out a long piece of rope from a bag he had slung over his shoulder.

Steve stiffened as the man approached, the man behind him once again holding him tight by his shoulders. Steve began to struggle as he realised where the man intended to tie the rope, thoughts of nooses and hangings making his blood run cold. _They wouldn't have gone to all this trouble just to kill you;_ the thought didn't do anything to set his mind at ease.

He continued to struggle as best he could with the vice-like grip clutching his shoulders. Not appreciating his struggles, the man holding the rope threw a hard punch at Steve's jaw, giving him the opening he needed to put the rope behind Steve's neck and wrap one end around his throat several times before tying it to the other end at the front, leaving a long end which he grasped tightly.

Steve forced himself to stay calm at having the rope tied around his neck; it wasn't restricting his breathing much but it was pressing and rubbing uncomfortably around his throat. Steve glared up at Wo Fat, wishing he could get his hands on him and choke the smirk off his face. His smirk grew at Steve's glare and he nodded again to the man behind Steve. A hand gripped Steve's shirt collar and pulled him to his feet as the man holding the end of the rope pulled him forward, causing the rope to tighten slightly but Steve refused to make a sound as he was led into the denser part of the jungle, Wo Fat and Jenna somewhere behind him.

oOo

Danny was seated in his office when the loud vibration alerted him to the fact that his cell phone was ringing. Quickly glancing at the caller ID, he answered it. "Hey, Chin. What did you find out from Jane Woodley?"

"_Danny, we've got a problem,"_ Chin's concerned statement caused Danny to frown at the urgency that was clear in the older man's voice.

"What are you talking about? What kind of problem?" Danny asked quickly as he stood up and began to pace; Chin's tone had put him on edge and he paced nervously around his office space.

"_Jane wasn't there so we spoke to her land-lord who showed us her driver's license. Danny, Jane Woodley is Jenna Kaye. She's been renting this house for the last three months."_

The air around Danny seemed to vanish as he took in what Chin was saying, a sick, heavy feeling settling in his gut as his pacing came to an abrupt end. Fighting a sudden rush of light-headedness, Danny replied harshly, "What? No, no, no, that's not possible," he pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke, "Jenna told Steve she's been in D.C for the last three months looking for her fiancé."

"_She lied, Danny," _Chin seemed almost impatient as he replied.

"But why? What would she have to gain by lying to McGarrett?"

"_I don't know. Kono and I are going over her place with a fine-tooth comb to see if anything turns up."_

"I need to call Steve, he gave me the number for his sat phone, he needs to know what's going on." Danny didn't wait for a reply before hanging up and he quickly accessed his contacts. Finding the number he needed, he pressed the dial button and put it to his ear. When Steve had yet to pick up after the fourth ring the hair on the back of Danny's neck started to stand on end and the heavy feeling in his gut grew worse. When the phone eventually rang out he quickly disconnected the call from his end and dialled again, trying to convince himself that there were a number of reasons why his partner wasn't answering; _they're in a Korean jungle for crying out loud, he probably can't get reception_. His assurances, however, did nothing to quell the fast rising panic as the phone rang out for a second time.

Undeterred, Danny dialled again, mumbling into the phone as he paced the room. "C'mon, Steve, pick up your damn phone! C'mon, c'mon! Dammit!" He threw the phone onto his desk in frustration as it rang out again. Quickly recovering it, he pushed heavily against the door and into the large office space of HQ and walked over to the smart table; he was pretty certain he needed to have a connection to the satellite phone to be able to trace its location but he'd be damned if he was going to sit around and do nothing.

Typing in Steve's sat phone number, Danny's stomach rolled in anticipation as the computer attempted to get a fix on its location. Looking at his watch, Danny did some quick calculating, figuring his partner was well and truly in South Korea by now and could possibly be on his way to the drop site with Jenna right now, and where was he? Four and a half thousand miles away with no way to back up his partner or to warn him about Jenna. If there was even a threat, but Danny knew that Jenna would have to have a damn good reason to lie to McGarrett, not to mention the fact that Steve wasn't answering his sat phone.

The computer beeped at him and Danny cursed as a text box popped up informing him that it could not trace the phone without an active connection to another device. Swiping his phone from the side of the computer table he marched back into his office to try calling Steve again, one hundred times if he had to, praying that his partner would pick up to hear him rant about how one does _not_ ignore one's partner's desperate phone calls and cause said partner's blood pressure to reach stroke levels.

oOo

Steve struggled against the hold the two men had on him as they pulled him down the damp corridor of the bunker towards the room at the end of the passageway but couldn't stop them as he was shoved into the room and one of the men slammed the door shut behind them.

He managed to twist out of their grip somewhat once the door shut but another blow from the butt of a rifle sent him into a stack of barrels then down to the floor hard. Before he had a chance to recover he was kicked repeatedly in the gut and chest by the two men. Steve managed to retaliate slightly and kicked out at the closest man, striking him in the knee. The man cursed loudly in Korean before striking back at Steve by pulling him up by his tattered shirt and punching him back to the ground.

Both men then continued to kick him while he was down until he no longer posed such a threat. Steve panted heavily as he lay on his stomach, trying not to show the men just how much pain he was in after their assault; his abdomen and back particularly sore after bearing the brunt of their blows. He felt the blade of a knife at his wrists as the rope around them was cut but before he had a chance to move his arms he was being pulled up.

The room spun at the sudden motion, making Steve slightly nauseous as the two men dragged him across the room. Steve struggled as the men lifted his arms above his head but his efforts were for nothing as he felt the metal of chains wrap around his wrists and he was pulled up so that his feet just brushed the floor. Steve bit back a groan as his shoulders and wrists protested at the task of supporting his weight.

Once the chains had been locked the assault continued and Steve could do nothing to stop the blows to his chest, stomach and face. He wasn't sure how long the men kept it up but it felt like hours before they finally stopped and left him alone in the room, giving Steve time to regroup himself and to assess his situation. Getting his breathing back under control he pushed the pain to the back of his mind allowing himself to think clearly.

The men hadn't asked him any questions yet, the only times they had spoken had been to yell abuse, so Steve assumed they were just the warm up until Wo Fat was ready to speak to him, about what though, he had no idea.

Steve tested the chains holding him up to find that there was no give in them but he found that if he stretched, the balls of his feet managed to touch the floor enough to support him. Steve allowed a brief moment of relief as the tension in his wrists and shoulders lessened and his breathing eased somewhat. His leg muscles, however, started to protest as the strain was placed solely on them and the balls of his feet and after only a few minutes he was forced to pull them up and let the strain return to his shoulders.

His thoughts turned to Jenna, her betrayal worse than any of the physical blows dealt out by Wo Fat's men. How hadn't he seen it coming? _Because you had no reason not to trust her_; deep down he knew he was right but it didn't stop him from being angry at himself for not realising sooner. He'd been blind-sided again by someone he had worked with, someone he had trusted; first Nick Taylor then Governor Jameson and now Jenna. He couldn't stop the thought that he should have seen something sooner; that he should have known.

'_No, you shouldn't have; how could you have known?'_ His partner's words after Taylor's betrayal echoed through his head bringing him little comfort.

His partner's voice made his thoughts turn to his team back home; his team who had no way of knowing what had happened and who certainly couldn't be there to back him up this time. He felt a wave of guilt that they would probably never even know what had happened to him as they had no way of knowing about Jenna's betrayal.

Since returning to civilian life his team had become like the family he'd lost after Wo Fat ordered the murder of his mother and the thought that he most likely wouldn't see them again was worse than the beatings he'd received. Danny would be pissed at him for getting himself into this situation without back up; he'd made it clear before Steve had left that he didn't feel good about this mission. Steve realised he should have listened to him, after all, his partner had been right about Taylor all along but Steve had been unwilling to listen and it had come back to bite him in the ass, just like it had now.

The door to the room he was in opened and the same two men from before stepped in, closing the door once more behind them and Steve braced himself for what he knew was to come.

oOo

Danny paced across the floor in the waiting room outside Governor Denning's office, unable to keep still as he waited impatiently for the Governor to decide he was ready to talk to the acting head of Five-0. Danny had only been here on a few occasions, Governor's Denning and Jameson both opted to speak to only Steve in matters concerning Five-0.

Danny had been trying to come up with the best way to break the news to Governor Denning but so far he hadn't come up with any idea on the best way to tell him.

After almost fifteen minutes the young secretary re-emerged into the room and called him over, "Detective Williams? The Governor will see you now."

He smiled politely at her as she turned and led him to the Governor's office and she opened the door for him to enter. "Thank you," he nodded to her as he entered the office.

Governor Denning stood up from behind his desk to greet him. "Good afternoon, Detective," he said, gesturing for Danny to take a seat in front of his desk, "You said you needed to speak to me about something urgent, you aren't here to request a few personal days leave like Commander McGarrett are you? Because I would hate to leave Five-0 so short staffed."

"Uh, no," Danny replied, ignoring the chair offered to him, preferring to stand. "But it does have something to do with that."

"What do you mean by that?" Denning frowned as he retook his seat behind his desk.

"What exactly did McGarrett tell you about the leave he was requesting?" Danny wanted to know just how much the Governor already knew about what was going on.

"Just that he needed a few days off in order to help a friend," his tone let Danny know that he was starting to grow suspicious.

"So he didn't tell you where he was going?"

"No," he frowned harder growing more and more suspicious by the second. "Why? What's going on, Detective?"

Danny sighed, knowing that it was time to spill the beans so he could do what he really came here for. "He flew into South Korea with a CIA analyst to make a ransom exchange over the border in North Korea."

The Governor was silent for a moment as Danny's word sunk in. "What?" He asked and Danny could see his anger rising. "What kind of exchange?"

"The CIA analyst he went with, Jenna Kaye, has worked with us before, she got word that her fiancé who's been missing for over a year was being held in North Korea by a faction of rebels and were willing to make an exchange for money. Steve went with her to escort her to the drop site."

"Seeing as how all of this would land Commander McGarrett into trouble with me, why are you telling me this?" Denning knew that the two men were close.

"Because it was a set-up, Kaye called us after everything went down. Steve's being held captive somewhere in North Korea by Wo Fat," Danny summarised the problem at hand.

"Wo Fat," Denning repeated, recognising the name, "the man who is responsible for Governor Jameson's murder?"

Danny nodded but didn't say anything as the Governor frowned in thought for a moment. "And I suppose you want me to organise some sort of rescue mission?"

"Yes, Sir," Danny nodded again.

"Into North Korea?" He looked disbelieving. "Look, Detective. As much respect as I have for Commander McGarrett despite our differences, any sort of mission into North Korea is going to be almost impossible to authorise."

"Excuse me?" Danny couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You have to remember that we're talking about a hostile country here, Detective. We'll have to appeal to the state department to launch a diplomatic mission and that could take weeks, maybe even months to get approved."

"So you're saying you're not going to do anything?" Danny grit his teeth together in anger to stop himself from going off at the man.

"No, I'm saying I'll do all that I _can_ do," his glare told Danny he didn't appreciate the accusation. "I'll appeal to the state department and..."

"You said that could take up to a month!" Danny interrupted. "This is Wo Fat we're talking about; we can't afford to sit around and wait for that approval! Steve would more than likely be dead by the time they approved something like this!" He hated to admit it out loud but Wo Fat had made it clear on several occasions that he wanted McGarrett dead.

"I don't like the situation anymore than you do, Detective!" Denning defended himself. "But there's no other way to proceed!"

Danny dragged his hand through his hair as he glanced out the window and frowned before turning back to the Governor. "Then I'm wasting my time talking to you," he said as he turned his back to the Governor and headed for the exit.

"Detective! Where are you going?" Denning didn't appreciate Williams storming out on him.

"To talk to someone who's willing to do more than hide behind his desk," Danny didn't care about the repercussions he may face for his words as he pushed open the door and exited the room. As he walked through the corridors on his way out he hoped that Joe had made more headway with the military.

oOo

"_Joe's made all the arrangements; he wants us to meet him at the airstrip in forty minutes_," Chin explained over the phone as Danny sat behind the wheel of the Camaro, another painful reminder that his partner wasn't there.

"Forty minutes," Danny repeated as he glanced at his watch, "Yeah, I'll meet you guys there."

"_Where are you now?"_

"Kahala," Danny cleared his throat before continuing, "there's something I've got to do before we go to North Korea, land of communism and mercenaries and I'm sure a myriad of horrible diseases."

Although he couldn't see him, Danny was sure that Chin was nodding his understanding. _"I'll see you at the airstrip then_," was all he said before disconnecting the call.

Danny pulled the Camaro to a stop outside the gates of Rachel and Stan's luxury house in Kahala. He left the engine running as he stepped out of the car to enter Grace's birth-date into the keypad by the gate but was taken-aback when nothing happened. He keyed it in again in case he got it wrong but once again the gates didn't move and he cursed Rachel's bad timing of taking his advice to change the code. Instead, he pressed the button to activate the door bell and waited impatiently for the answer.

After what felt like forever, he heard his ex-wife's voice through the speaker. "Danny, is that you?"

"Yes, Rachel, it's me. Look, I need to see Grace."

"Now's not a good time, Daniel."

"What do you mean 'now's not a good time'? Do you have the Queen over for tea or something?" Danny regretted raising his voice but didn't care to apologise. Lowering his voice he continued, "Look, I know things have been strained between us lately but I really need to see Grace. Please, Rachel?"

No reply came from the speaker but the gate slowly started to open.

"Thank you," Danny said before getting back into the car and driving though the gate and up the long driveway. When he walked up to the porch Rachel was already waiting with the door open and Danny avoided looking at her swollen belly as best he could; it was the extra kick in the gut that he didn't need right now.

"You have five minutes," she stated as he walked up the steps, "Stan will be home in ten minutes."

"Thank you, Rachel," he wanted to avoid a confrontation with the man as much as she did.

As they both stepped into the entrance way, Rachel called up the stairs, "Grace! Your father's here!"

There came the sound of running footsteps as Grace appeared at the top of the stairs. "Danno!" Her face lit up when she saw him and Danny smiled the first genuine smile since Chin's phone call about Jenna.

Grace raced down the stairs and flung herself into her father's arms.

"Hey, Monkey," Danny spoke into her hair as he hugged her tightly.

Rachel watched the pair with a smile, even after everything that had happened between them it still warmed her heart to see the way Danny loved their daughter. She could see that something was off about him today though, he seemed distant, like when Matt had walked out on them. She didn't say anything in front of her daughter though.

Danny pulled away to look at Grace's smiling face, glad he had the chance to see her before leaving.

"Guess what?" His daughter grinned.

"What, Monkey?"

"I drew you a picture!"

"You did?" Danny grinned at the proud smile on her face.

"Uh huh," she nodded happily making her pigtails swing.

"Well you better go get it then!"

"Well, I was gonna wait 'til next weekend," she seemed thoughtful before brightening up, "but I guess I can give it to you now!"

Danny smiled and hit her lightly on her behind as she took off back up the stairs to collect her master-piece.

Once she was out of sight, Rachel turned to Danny. "Danny, is something wrong?"

Danny stood and turned to face Rachel, he should have known that she'd be able to read him; she'd always been able to. "Why would you assume that?"

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Your behaviour, your sudden need to see Grace... It's something dangerous, isn't it?" She couldn't keep the worry out of her voice.

"Rachel," Danny sighed, "I shouldn't be talking about it with you."

"Why? Because it's classified? Or because it's really dangerous and you know I'll be upset about it?"

"A bit of both," Danny muttered before he could stop himself.

Rachel seemed conflicted between being scared or angry at his admission. "Then if it's dangerous, don't go, you have Grace to think about."

"I have to go, Rachel..."

"No you don't _have_ to!" She cut him off. "You have a responsibility as a father..."

"I also have a responsibility as a partner!" he snapped, managing to keep his voice low to avoid Grace over-hearing.

Rachel looked shocked at his statement. "Are you talking about Steve? Danny, what's happened?" She looked genuinely concerned.

Danny was spared from making up some excuse for not answering as Grace came back down the stairs clutching a piece of paper in her hand.

"What's this master piece?" Danny asked as she excitedly passed the drawing over to him. Danny felt his heart jump to his throat as he looked at his daughter's drawing of three people enjoying what liked like shave-ice. The smallest was clearly Grace with her pigtails and Danny recognised himself with bright yellow hair. But it was the third person in the picture that made his mouth go dry as he looked at his daughter's drawing of his partner; she'd even drawn something that resembled tattoos on his arms.

"Do you like it?" She asked, unsure of his reaction.

"I love it, Gracie," he hoped to hell his voice didn't sound as husky to his ex-wife and daughter as it did to him.

Grace beamed at his words. "It's Kamakona's shave-ice, I was gonna draw him too but I ran out of space," she frowned briefly. "He said we get free ones when I go there! If we go next weekend, do you think Uncle Steve can come too?"

Danny didn't answer straight away, instead he crouched down and hugged her close. "I hope so, Gracie." He kissed the top of her head. "I hope so."

oOo

"We've still got a long way to go yet," Joe came over to where Danny was seated with his back against the side of the plane. "You could at least try to get some rest for a couple of hours." He took note of Danny's bouncing leg as the detective continued to wring his hands together.

Danny glanced over at the rest of his team who were leaned back against the side of the plane with their eyes shut; whether they'd managed to get to sleep or if they were just resting their eyes he wasn't sure. "I honestly don't know how they do it," he stated as he watched them.

"Necessity," Joe stated. "It's been a stressful several hours and I can guarantee you it won't be getting much easier anytime soon."

"I don't see you catching any z's," Danny glanced up at Joe.

Joe laughed as he took a seat next to Danny, "I've had worse with less sleep," he smiled.

"I don't doubt that," Danny replied as he checked his watch. It had been six hours ago that Jenna had called, confirming his worst fear that something had gone seriously wrong and that his partner, his friend, was in the hands of Wo Fat, the most dangerous man he knew and who had a serious grudge against McGarrett. Danny had been doing his best not to think about what might be happening to Steve right now but with nothing to do while sitting on the plane for the last few hours it had been a difficult thought to ignore and the heavy feeling in his gut continued to grow, making him nauseous at times.

As though Joe was able to hear what he was thinking he stated, "You know Steve's one of the best men I've ever trained, he knows how to handle himself and I can guarantee he won't be making this easy for Wo Fat."

_Easy about what?_ Danny thought, though he didn't voice his question, not wanting to hear the answer. Instead he nodded, "I know, I've been his partner long enough to see the results of the training he's had and seen the crazy stunts he's pulled off to know what he's capable of under these sort of circumstances."

Joe smiled, "I heard about some of the stunts he's pulled while working with Five-0. Though I will admit that hanging a suspect off a roof and throwing another into a shark cage looks tame compared to some of the stunts he pulled at Coronado, among other places."

Danny couldn't help but smile slightly at Joe's admission. "Really? So he was just as crazy back then, huh?"

"You have no idea," Joe smiled. "There was this one guy at the base at Coronado, real weasel of a kid, don't know why he ever wanted to be a SEAL," he frowned at the memory. "Anyway, he was never as good as the rest of the guys so he used to make up for it by trying to make the rest of them look bad for a whole heap of petty things," he glanced at Danny, "You know the type."

Danny nodded, "Yeah, every high-school seemed to have one, somehow I thought 'SEAL-school' would be different."

"You'd be surprised. Anyway, after a month the guys had all had enough of him so Steve really gave him something to complain about," Joe couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"What'd he do?" Danny started to smile.

"Well, I'm still not sure on some of the details myself," Joe admitted, "but basically Steve got a few other guys to help him abduct the guy from his bunk in the middle of the night. The next morning when we went to raise the flag he was hanging from the top of the flagpole with the flag wrapped around him to hold him up." Joe gave a small laugh as he remembered the sight. "They'd super-glued his hand to his head so that he was saluting and had gagged him to make sure no one found him until morning."

Danny had to laugh as he imagined a young McGarrett pulling off what sounded like a college prank. "And what happened to Steve after that stunt?" He had to ask.

"He lost all leave for three months," Joe replied, "though it's pretty hard to discipline someone when you're trying your best not to laugh yourself," he admitted with a smile. "Plus that was the last straw for the guy and we were all pretty glad to see him go."

The story didn't distract Danny for long and the two fell into silence as his thoughts turned back to the mess his partner had managed to land himself in. "I told him this whole mission was a bad idea," he admitted as he shook his head, "I told him from the start but it didn't do anything to change his mind about going."

"No one could have predicted what Jenna did; not you, not Steve." Joe stared at him intently as he spoke. "And I know that no matter what you or anyone else may have said, that Steve would have gone anyway; his father would've been the same. Selflessness is something that runs in the McGarrett family."

"Then so must recklessness," Danny added, though he couldn't really be angry at his partner; Joe was right, they had no way of knowing what was going to happen, all Danny had had was a bad feeling, nothing more.

"_Well, you've got good instincts, Partner."_ Steve's words echoed in his head and Danny found himself wishing that this time he had been wrong.

"You may want to reconsider that rest," Joe slapped him on the shoulder as he stood up and moved back towards his seat further up the plane.

Danny watched him go, not feeling a whole lot better after their conversation. Maybe Joe was right and he should try to rest and hopefully shake the heavy feeling still twisting his gut. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the plane, trying in vain to push away the thoughts of what might happen to Steve in the hours between now and touching down in Seoul.

oOo

"We're getting on a plane in one hour and you're taking me to Shelbourne," Wo Fat stated, not flinching after McGarrett's yelled threat in his face. He turned and exited the room, needing to make the necessary plans for their premature departure.

This bunker had been the perfect place to carry out his plans and he was pissed they would be forced to leave before he had gotten what he had wanted out of McGarrett. The man's stubbornness and refusal to admit to his knowledge about Shelbourne only added to his anger. He had known from that start that getting the information that he needed from McGarrett would be difficult, considering the extensive training he had received as a member of Special Forces, but he had also believed that he had all the time he needed to break the former SEAL. Now, however, having found out about the last phone call Agent Kaye had made it complicated his plans.

He didn't know exactly who she had made the call to but he did recognise the number last dialled as an American cell phone number. If she had managed to get a hold of one of McGarrett's team members then he could not risk staying in the same place for too long in case they had managed to trace where the call had been made from or if Kaye had simply told them where they were. Realistically, he knew the chances of them launching a rescue mission into North Korea were slim (it was the main reason he had chosen to have Kaye lure McGarrett here instead of just grabbing him in Hawaii) but he couldn't afford to take any chances, not when it came to Shelbourne. He now regretted his decision not to kill the CIA analyst after she had led McGarrett to him and she was of no further use to him.

"_One always sees clearer in hindsight."_ He remembered his father had once said to him and his desire to find out what McGarrett knew about Shelbourne burned deeper. Once they were at the air strip located several miles north of the bunker McGarrett would be forced to tell him exactly where he needed to go in order to find Shelbourne. When he finally had the information he needed he would at last be able to kill the man who had been a thorn in his side ever since he took it upon himself to continue his father's investigation and vendetta.

His thoughts were interrupted when the radio clipped to his belt crackled to life as one of his men informed him that McGarrett had managed to free himself from the manacles and had escaped. Wo Fat wasn't concerned; he had taken precautions in case McGarrett attempted such a feat and had several of his men stationed at the few entrances to the bunker.

"Ibgu ui modeun namjadeul-eun gyeong-go habnida," he ordered all the men at the entrances to be alert before he made his way to one of the short cuts in the bunker that would lead him to the entrance closest to where the room McGarrett had been in was located and joined the three men already stationed there.

They didn't have to wait long for McGarrett to emerge from the bunker with a stolen rifle and he moved cautiously forward, before the three men revealed themselves to McGarrett with their guns raised. McGarrett froze as he took in their appearance and Wo Fat used the distraction to move up behind him and deliver another blow to the man's head with his gun.

As McGarrett fell to the ground with a groan he turned to the men who were still surrounding him and ordered, "Get him up, we move now."

oOo

"Get him up, we move now."

Steve heard Wo Fat's instruction through the pounding in his head as he pushed down the sudden nausea that had accompanied the latest blow to his head. He felt as each of his arms were grabbed and he was pulled upright but his legs refused to support him just yet and he desperately attempted to get them under himself as he was dragged forward by the two men carrying him. As his vision cleared he managed to get control of his legs and was able to support himself as he struggled against the grip the two men had on his arms.

"Geuneun gotuhagoissda." One of the guards spoke. _He is struggling._

"Geuui son-eul mukk-eo , geuman." Wo Fat ordered. _Stop, tie his hands._

Steve's sluggish mind translated the words and moments later he was roughly shoved to his knees as his hands were brought in front of him. Steve resisted slightly as the rope was knotted around his wrists but the cold metal of the barrel of the second man's rifle against the back of his neck refrained him from making a move, not to mention the man's strong grip on his shoulder.

"Seodulleo! Ulineun gyesog idong haeyahabnida." _Hurry up! We need to keep moving._ Wo Fat ordered, a nervousness in his voice and Steve couldn't quite comprehend what the rush was.

The man tying his wrists together quickly finished the job and grabbed the end of the rope. The man who had remained behind him pulled Steve up by the collar of his shirt and roughly shoved him forward causing Steve to stumble slightly until he got his feet back under him. As he was pulled forward by the rope attached to his wrists the only thing he could be thankful for was that at least this time the rope wasn't tied around his neck.

The walk through the jungle was long and Steve could feel the effect it was having on his already battered body and he was forced to call on his training not for the first time that day to push past the exhaustion and the pain that was yelling at him to lie down. Something that was getting harder with each stumbling step.

He knew he was running purely on adrenalin now and that it was his strong sense of pride that wouldn't allow him to give up, especially to the man who was responsible for the murder of his mother and father and Jenna. Jenna. He felt another wave of rage wash through his veins, giving him a second wind as the memory of Wo Fat murdering her in cold blood replayed in his mind. The CIA analyst may have betrayed him but she'd deserved better than to die alone with only the man she'd betrayed and at the hands of the man who had played her, who had led her here under false pretences only to find the body of her fiancé. Steve remembered the silver cross necklace he had stashed away in one of his pants pockets but it was only a small comfort to know that at least some small part of her memory wouldn't be left behind in the bunker.

The jungle they were walking through began to thin, the trees now further apart and Steve noticed that there was less undergrowth tearing at his bare feet as the 'trail' they had been following turned into something more akin to a path.

After what seemed like days to Steve, though in reality it couldn't have been more than half an hour, they emerged from the dense jungle to a dirt road and three awaiting trucks. Steve began to resist more against the rope as he was led to the last truck in the small convoy, pulling hard as they reached the back of the vehicle. The only thing he managed to accomplish, however, was another blow to the side of his head from the butt of the rifle of the man behind him. Staggering forward onto his knees, he felt two pairs of hands grip his upper arms tightly and he was hauled roughly into the back of the truck and dumped onto the floor. Steve grunted as the man who had been behind him delivered a swift kick to his midsection for good measure, before jumping out the back of the truck leaving only one man in the back to guard him.

Steve knew he should be doing something to escape, recognising that his odds at success now were higher than they had been thus far but the adrenalin was starting to wear off and even keeping his eyes open was becoming difficult and the pain returned in full force.

The floor of the truck began to vibrate as the engine was turned on and Steve's body jolted as they accelerated, heading in the direction of God knew where. Steve wasn't sure what would happen when he couldn't take Wo Fat to wherever the hell Shelbourne was but he didn't have much time to think about it as exhaustion and his injuries took their toll and he began to drift in and out of consciousness.

oOo

"Where's Wo Fat?"

"Just shut up would ya?"

Steve let his partner's typical response sink in and he glanced at the back of the truck where Chin and Joe appeared as they lifted the canvas flap. Steve frowned, still coming to terms with the fact that his partner – his whole team? – had come to a foreign country to rescue him, to back him up.

"C'mon, c'mon," he heard Danny mutter as his fingers worked quickly at getting the knots binding his hands together undone. Steve felt them loosen then fall away completely and he let his hands drop into his lap briefly, allowing a second to appreciate the loss of tension caused by the ropes.

There was a thud as Joe hopped into the back of the truck and crouched next to Steve. "Come on, Son, we need to get moving."

Steve nodded as Joe manoeuvred himself under his right arm and Danny did the same on his left. Steve grimaced slightly as he was hauled to his feet but a new rush of adrenalin had caused the pain to take a back seat for the time-being. They moved to the back of the truck where Chin was waiting, ready to help them lower Steve to the ground and Joe removed himself from under Steve's arm so the former SEAL could grip Chin's arm for support. They eased Steve down as fast as was possible so he was sitting on the edge of the truck. Steve resented the slow pace they were making but he knew he was in no condition to be jumping out the back of a truck, even one that was still stationary.

Once he was perched on the edge of the truck, Danny jumped down and replaced himself under Steve's left arm, Chin taking his right and they got him back to his feet once more.

Once out of the truck, Steve glanced around and saw who it was providing them cover, instantly recognising Commander Gutches and Lieutenant Jacks from their case from a few months back, the other two he didn't recognise but he assumed they were also members of SEAL Team Nine.

Commander Gutches noticed McGarrett's focus on him and grinned, "I take it this pays off our debt in full, Commander?"

Steve managed a small smile and replied, "You bet, Sir."

Everyone seemed to notice the amount of effort those few words took despite Steve's attempt to hide it.

"Alright, Ladies, let's move out!" Gutches ordered. He glanced briefly at Chin and Danny. "You two ok there?"

Danny threw him a stare that, if the man hadn't just accompanied them into hostile territory against orders to save their boss and friend, would usually have contained a lot of heat. Instead, the look he gave was one of determination as he and Chin moved easily as they supported Steve between them, who was managing to support a surprising amount of weight on his own.

Joe and Lieutenant Jacks took point as they headed in the direction of the L.Z and Danny and Chin managed to keep up a good pace behind them, with Commander Gutches and the remaining two members of SEAL Team Nine watching their six.

Danny knew the fast pace they were keeping must have been far from comfortable for Steve after seeing the damage done by Wo Fat and his men but to his credit the former SEAL seemed to be supporting most of his own weight. Danny just ignored the occasional extra weight they carried between them as Steve started to slip before he managed to pull himself back up and how his partner's breath was coming in short pants near his ear and the occasional hiss of pain and grimace he heard, whether the result of the jostling motion of his body or a result of hiking through the jungle with no shoes on Danny wasn't sure. Danny felt and heard the undergrowth cracking beneath his boots and he spared a thought for Steve as he glanced down at his partner's feet which appeared to be caked in dirt and blood.

Steve also found himself looking down at his feet as he was supported out of the jungle but he didn't see the dirt or blood as he focused on moving one foot in front of the other to keep up with the pace set by Danny and Chin, trying not to be such a burden on them. He cursed inwardly at every stumble and he tried to get his breathing under control but all his injured ribs would allow were short and ragged pants. His shoulders burned at their position of being draped over his friends' shoulders, aching from the several hours of being hung from the ceiling by them but for now he could ignore all that as adrenalin pushed him forward and kept him alert.

As he was supported by his team mates, his thoughts went to the members of Five-0 who weren't with them and dread flittered through his gut as he considered the possibility that something had gone wrong.

"Where's Kono, and Lori?" he asked quietly, already out of breath.

Danny heard the whispered question and was able to pick up the concern in his partner's query and he answered quickly to set his mind at ease. "Lori's flying shot gun on the helo we're about to meet up with," he explained. "And Kono's back at Frank, the pilot's place. You have her to thank for finding the convoy."

Steve nodded, too out of breath to bother with a verbal response at the moment. He wanted to thank them; they'd risked their own lives to save his, they'd flown into a hostile country to get him back, a bunch of cops, not trained SEALs who had extensive training for this sort of mission, just regular cops to whom the word loyal just didn't begin to cover it. It was because of them that he was alive, he knew that Wo Fat had had every intention of killing him eventually, and all he wanted was to thank them for it but at that moment he didn't have the words or the breath to say what he wanted.

Steve heard the blades of the chopper approaching before they emerged from the jungle and it had him wondering where the hell they had managed to find one in the middle of Korea, he put it down to one of the many contacts Joe seemed to have. They came into the clearing as the ancient looking helo was touching down and if Steve was in a better mood he would have laughed at its misshapen appearance; right now it could have been made of balsa wood and duct tape and it still would have looked like a first class jet to him.

The trees and grass around them were whipped around by the wind from the blades of the chopper as they hurried down the small slope towards their ride out of here. Steve concentrated on closing the gap between himself and the open door of the helo, the reality that this whole nightmare was almost over difficult to sink in.

Steve was caught off-guard as someone emerged from the front of the helo and came at him and he tensed as their arms wrapped around his shoulders and pressed uncomfortably against his injured ribs. Lori, he realised. Steve allowed her a moment if she needed it and removed his arm from Danny's shoulder and placed it on Lori's arm as she pulled away as Commander Gutches spoke to them and he couldn't help but wonder where the hell that had come from.

Chin helped Steve to the side of the chopper as Joe jumped in the back ready to pull Steve in. Steve grimaced as Joe's hands grabbed under his arms and he pulled him into the back of the chopper to rest against his knees, Steve managing to help them in the process.

Steve felt a rifle pressed into his hands and he automatically checked the clip, the feeling of the gun in his hands reassuring as he felt in control again.

Once everyone was seated in the chopper, Joe called out to the pilot to take off and Steve finally had time to come to terms with what had happened. He still wasn't sure how his team and Joe were here, plus Commander Gutches and the other SEALs, but at the moment he didn't really care as the chopper flew them the hell out of there. He hadn't believed his eyes at first when the tarp on the truck had been lifted to reveal his partner staring at him, and it hadn't been until he had heard his partner speak as he jumped into the back of the truck that he had realised he wasn't seeing things. He ignored the throbbing in his chest and head as he turned to look at his partner.

Danny watched as Steve turned to him and he could clearly see the appreciation and surprise in his features. He knew that his partner was trying to think of the words to thank them but Danny waved him off to save him the effort. "No don't, you can thank me when we get back to Oahu," he raised his voice to be heard over the noise from the chopper.

Steve nodded, appreciating his partner's understanding, right now even the task of speaking seemed exhausting as the adrenalin started to drain from his system. Steve was caught off guard when Chin spoke.

"You can thank me by being the best man at my wedding." Steve looked at Chin in surprise at his statement. "I'm getting married," Chin smiled.

Steve returned his smile, genuinely happy for his team mate and friend though he still didn't say anything. His smile grew as he heard Danny's remark.

"No, don't do it!"

Steve listened to the banter between his team mates and smiled at the normality it added to the scene and he managed a grin as Joe and the rest of SEAL team nine joined in Danny's statement, "...and buy her a house!"

"Nice," Chin smiled.

"I got you!" Steve heard Danny reply, though a part of him told him that the statement wasn't entirely directed at Chin and he allowed himself another moment to take in the presence of his team who had gone above and beyond to rescue him. Even in his exhausted state, Steve could easily tell that his relief to be heading home wasn't one sided but was shared by all those in the chopper surrounding him as they flew in the direction that would eventually take them home.

-End-

oOo

_A/N: This story is complete for now, though I do have a few ideas for a scene set after the episode finished so I may end up posting a second chapter to include that._

_Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review to let me know what you thought of the story! Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and alerts for this story! You guys are awesome so the least I could do was post this second chapter! This is just a short scene between Steve and Danny set after the episode and once they're back on Oahu. I hope you enjoy it!_

oOo

Steve McGarrett felt the anger rising in his chest again as he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror after emerging from the shower, a towel now wrapped around his waist.

He had had a quick shower after returning from a run that, considering the state of his still healing body, had been closer to a jog or a fast walk rather than a run. His doctor had strongly advised him against undertaking such a task but after being cooped up in the hospital for three days and then a further two days at home with nothing to do he decided to hell with the doctor; he needed to get back into a routine and give himself something to do and despite the pain it caused his ribs it felt good to be 'running' again. He would have preferred to go for his usual swim, but a certain 'house-guest' turned mother-hen had taken it upon himself to hide all of his swimwear and board-shorts and as tempted as Steve had been to just go out in his cargos, or less, he had decided against it; as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that his partner and doctor were right and that his shoulders weren't in any condition to be going for a ten mile swim. Maybe next week.

Most of his face was still covered in bruises, though they were starting to fade in some places now. The left side of his face was the worst and was still purple in colour and was the darkest surrounding the line of stitches still present along his cheek bone, though it was an improvement on the dark purple and almost black it had been during his stay at the hospital. The purple started to fade into yellowy-green until it reached the light purple bruising around his jaw. The right side of his face wasn't so bad but still displayed a large amount of light purple colouring which faded into yellow until it met with the bruising around both sides of his jaw.

His chest was the same story and Steve could easily see where his three cracked ribs were located on his left, highlighted by the deep purple bruising that had yet to start fading and which still contained small amounts of black colouring. The rest of his chest and abdomen was mottled shades of light purple, red, green and yellow, some places worse off than others. There were also several pink, shiny burn marks scattered across his torso that had yet to fade which were remnants of the cattle prod Wo Fat had used.

Steve gripped the edge of the sink hard as his anger towards Wo Fat swelled. His fingers started to turn white due to the death grip they had on the sink as he tried to contain his rage at the man. The man who had somehow slipped through their fingers again when all Steve wanted was revenge, justice. Justice for the countless crimes he'd committed and revenge for all the deaths he was the cause of; his mother, his father, Laura Hills, Governor Jameson, Makoto and now Jenna. It didn't matter that two of the afore mentioned had betrayed him, Steve still wanted blood for the deaths Wo Fat had brought about, some more personal than others.

The sound of a car pulling up out the front of the house alerted him to the fact that Danny had arrived home and Steve quickly threw on a pair of cargos and a tee, wincing as he pulled the shirt over his head and it pulled at his injured ribs which had been throbbing since his jog. He heard the door close as he reached the top of the stairs and Danny's voice called out, "Honey, I'm home!"

Steve refrained from rolling his eyes at his partner's greeting as he made his way more slowly down the stairs than usual and he started to see why the doctor had been so adamant that he avoid strenuous exercise, or any exercise at all, for at least two weeks.

"Hey," he greeted as he made it to the bottom of the stairs where Danny had just deposited his gun and badge on the small table opposite the sofa currently serving as his bed.

Danny looked up as his partner took the last step down and he noticed that he was carrying himself a little stiffer than usual. Narrowing his eyes at him suspiciously, he asked, "What'd you do?"

"Nothing," Steve dismissed his suspicion, "I took the first step too fast and jolted my ribs."

Danny didn't seem too convinced but he let the subject drop.

"So how..." Steve started before Danny cut him off.

"If you finish that sentence with 'was work' I will sedate you; the doctor gave me extra pills so don't think I won't use them," he warned. "The Governor gave you three weeks off to recover and you're not going to do that by trying to solve all of our cases for us; we'll be able to manage without our fearless leader for a couple of weeks."

Steve frowned as he made his way into the kitchen area. "Denning's just pissed at me for not telling him where I was going and now he's making me wait to come back to work as a way to get back at me."

"You know, some people would see their boss giving them extra time off as a good thing," Danny pointed out. "And you showing up at headquarters a day after being released from hospital didn't help the matter."

"How was I supposed to know he would be there to talk to you guys about the stunt you pulled? He usually does that kind of thing at his office."

"You _weren't_ supposed to know he was there, how could you have? You shouldn't have been there _at all_ is the point I'm making, Steven," Danny corrected as he took a beer out of the fridge and automatically passed one to Steve. "Wait," he realised, "should you be drinking that?"

Steve just glared at him in a way that challenged him to try and stop him and he let the matter slide; knowing super-SEAL he probably hadn't been taking any of the pain meds prescribed by the doctor anyway.

The rain that had been threatening to fall all day was now coming down in full force, so both men opted to stay inside and took a seat each at the table opposite the study, seeing as how the sofa was currently being used as a bed.

Danny glanced at his partner as he took a sip of beer and he couldn't stop the sick feeling that he always got when he saw the still vivid evidence of what had happened in Korea; the bruises an ever present reminder of something they'd all rather forget about.

Danny cleared his throat before he broke the silence that had fallen between them. "There's something that I've been meaning to give back to you, the medics found it on you when we brought you in to the hospital, they gave it back with the rest of your personal effects."

Steve watched as Danny pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table near him. He felt his pulse speed up as the silver chain pooled on the table with the cross pendant on top. He reached for it and picked it up as Danny spoke again.

"I recognised it when the medics gave it to me; it was Jenna's, wasn't it?"

Steve stared at the necklace in his hand for a moment. "I thought I must have dropped it somewhere on the way to the chopper," he said quietly. He stared at it for a moment longer before clenching it tightly in his fist as the anger from earlier resurfaced; anger at Jenna for lying to him but most of all anger at Wo Fat for using her like that before killing her in cold blood.

Danny knew that there had to be some strong emotions going through Steve's head right now and he also understood, had had experience with it himself, that it was better off to get them out than to let them build up gradually on the inside. He also knew that that was going to be almost impossible when it came to Steve McGarrett.

"You know, Steve, I don't know exactly what happened but I do know you and I know how you think; what happened to Jenna was in no way your fault," he stated.

Steve stood suddenly and moved around in the small space by the table, not being able to sit still for a moment longer. He rubbed his hand that wasn't clutching the necklace over his mouth and the dull throb of the bruises under his hand was the reminder he didn't need right now and only added to his anger. "You don't understand," Steve frowned as he paced. _"... in no way your fault..."_ That might have been easy for Danny to say but he wasn't the one who had been chained to a Goddamn ceiling when Wo Fat had pulled the trigger, the one who had been completely powerless to prevent him from killing someone who they had considered a friend.

"Well maybe it would help if you spoke about what happened?" Danny managed to keep from raising his voice at his partner's avoidance but the frustration in his statement was clear.

"What do you want to hear, Danny?" Steve finally snapped and he yelled at Danny. "That the son of a bitch tortured me? That he killed her in cold blood and there wasn't a Goddamn thing I could do about it?" Steve turned away and kicked the closest chair so that it skidded across the floor before hitting the ground with a thud. He knew he was taking his anger out on the wrong person; that Danny was just trying to help but the fact that Wo Fat had slipped away again had been grating at him since his return home. He wanted nothing more than to kill the man that had cost him so much and it frustrated him that there was nothing he could do at the moment to bring the bastard down. "I'm sorry," he apologised in a softer voice as he shook his head and turned back to look at his partner.

Danny didn't say anything as he watched Steve sit down on the remaining chair that wasn't lying on its side, understanding the kind of anger his partner must be feeling towards Wo Fat, for not only what had happened in North Korea but for everything in the past too. Hell, Danny could happily tear the man apart with his bare hands for what he had done to his partner, his best friend, and he didn't even know the half of it.

"She knew," Steve stated after a few minutes of silence and several swigs of beer. "She knew he was going to kill her as soon as she saw the satellite phone. She used her last few moments to pass me a pin so I could unlock the cuffs. She gave me a chance to escape," he finished, not looking at Danny while he spoke.

Danny could see the guilt that Steve was trying to hide as he spoke. "I know what you're thinking, Steve and stop it; there was nothing you could have done to stop Wo Fat. You didn't owe her anything, Steve, she was the reason you were both in that situation in the first place; she made her choice."

"It wasn't long ago that she saved your life," Steve reminded him as he brought his gaze up to meet Danny's.

"Yeah, I remember," Danny nodded. He didn't need to be reminded about that fact, it was all he had been able to think about when they had come across her body in the bunker; that if it hadn't been for her he would be dead and Grace would have ended up growing up with the miserable excuse for a father that was Step-Stan. But she was also the reason his best friend had been lured to North Korea, beaten, tortured and God knew what else and in his mind that by far cancelled out any debt they may owe her.

"I can understand the position she was in," Danny continued, "God, if it was Grace, I would do anything to get her back but I would never, I_ could_ never..." he shook his head as his voice trailed off. "She should have come to us," he finished instead. "She should have told us what was going on so we could help her, instead she put her trust in Wo Fat and it got her killed."

Steve nodded, finding some small comfort in his friend's words. At the mention of Grace he was reminded of what Danny had risked by coming to North Korea to rescue him. "You shouldn't have come after me, Danny. It was North Korea for Christ's sake, I mean you have Grace, what were you thinking?"

Now it was Danny's turn to feel anger towards his partner, "What was I thinking? What was I thinking? I was thinking about how my partner would end up dead if I didn't do anything! I was trying _not_ to think about what we might find when we got to Korea! You said it yourself before you left; 'I'd do the same for you, anybody else here'. Well what the hell made you think that we wouldn't feel the same about you, huh? You think we didn't know the risks involved? You think I wasn't thinking about how Grace would grow up without a father if something went wrong? Well then you'd be wrong; we all knew the risks involved and decided it was well worth those risks if we were able to bring you home."

It was the most they had spoken about what had happened; there had been some talk at the hospital when Steve had thanked them for rescuing him, because as much as he knew they shouldn't have risked coming after him he was beyond grateful that they had. He owed them his life and now he was struggling to find the words to thank them.

Steve took a deep breath as he looked to Danny again. "Thank you," the words were full of sincerity. "What you guys did, the lengths that you went to..." His voice trailed off for a second before he finished. "There's nothing that states you had to come after me but I'm sure as hell glad you guys did anyway."

Danny held his partner's gaze. "I'm your partner, Steve; and there's an unwritten law that states that when your partner lands himself up a creek without a paddle, or in your case without the whole damn boat, that it's your job to rescue his sorry ass only so he can listen to a rant about how worried he had everyone and how he almost caused mass panic-attacks."

Steve smiled at Danny's poor attempt at a rant; the relief too evident in his partner's voice to carry any heat, neither real nor put-on.

"It's my job to back you up, Steve," Danny continued, "no country border is ever gonna change that fact."

The two sat in silence for several minutes as they finished their beers, before Steve spoke up and broke the silence, "So what case are you guys working on at the moment?"

Danny's head snapped towards his partner, "What did I say not ten minutes ago? We. Are. Not. Talking. About. Work. Steven! I warned you! I'll go and get those pills if I have to! Why are you smiling, I am not kidding!"

Steve couldn't help but grin as he watched Danny's hands wave around in full flight as he ranted and he found comfort in the normality of the scene and he knew that despite everything that had happened, things would return to normal. Still watching his partner's wild hand gestures he knew that things already were returning to normal.

-End-

oOo

_A/N: I swear I'm telling the truth when I say –End- this time! What did you think? Thanks so much for reading!_


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